Lamb Tagine with Dried Apricots and Olives
By America's Test KitchenPublished on June 1, 2011
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 (3 ½-to 4-pound) boneless lamb shoulder roast, trimmed and cut into 1 ½-inch piecesSalt and ground black pepper 3 tablespoons olive oil 3 medium onions, halved and sliced pole to pole into ¼-inch-thick pieces4 (2-inch-long) strips zest from 1 lemon, trimmed of white pith8 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 8 teaspoons), plus 2 medium garlic cloves, mashed to a fine paste2 ½ teaspoons sweet paprika 1 teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon ground coriander ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth 2 tablespoons honey 1 pound carrots (about 6 medium), peeled and sliced 1 inch thick2 cups pitted Greek green olives, halved1 cup dried apricots, chopped medium¼ cup minced fresh cilantro leaves ¼ cup juice from 2 lemons ½ teaspoon grated zest from 1 lemon
Before You Begin
If you cannot find pitted Greek green olives, substitute pimento-stuffed green olives; if the olives are particularly salty, be sure to rinse them. A variety of dried fruits, including pitted prunes, dark raisins, golden raisins, or currants, can be substituted for the apricots.
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Pat the meat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add half of the lamb and brown well on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes; transfer to a medium bowl. Repeat with 1 tablespoon more oil and the remaining lamb; transfer to the bowl.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pot and return to medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions, lemon zest strips, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook over medium heat until the onions are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic, paprika, cumin, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk in the broth, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Stir in the honey and browned lamb with any accumulated juice and bring to a simmer. Cover, place the pot in the oven, and cook for 1 hour.
- Stir in the carrots and continue to cook in the oven, covered, until the meat is tender, 1 to 11/2 hours longer.
- Remove the tagine from the oven and remove the lemon zest strips. Stir in the olives and apricots, cover, and let stand off the heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic paste, cilantro, lemon juice, and grated lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Yield
Serves 6Ingredients
1 (3 ½-to 4-pound) boneless lamb shoulder roast, trimmed and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
Salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium onions, halved and sliced pole to pole into ¼-inch-thick pieces
4 (2-inch-long) strips zest from 1 lemon, trimmed of white pith
8 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 8 teaspoons), plus 2 medium garlic cloves, mashed to a fine paste
2 ½ teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons honey
1 pound carrots (about 6 medium), peeled and sliced 1 inch thick
2 cups pitted Greek green olives, halved
1 cup dried apricots, chopped medium
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
¼ cup juice from 2 lemons
½ teaspoon grated zest from 1 lemon
Ingredients
1 (3 ½-to 4-pound) boneless lamb shoulder roast, trimmed and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
Salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium onions, halved and sliced pole to pole into ¼-inch-thick pieces
4 (2-inch-long) strips zest from 1 lemon, trimmed of white pith
8 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 8 teaspoons), plus 2 medium garlic cloves, mashed to a fine paste
2 ½ teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons honey
1 pound carrots (about 6 medium), peeled and sliced 1 inch thick
2 cups pitted Greek green olives, halved
1 cup dried apricots, chopped medium
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
¼ cup juice from 2 lemons
½ teaspoon grated zest from 1 lemon
Ingredients
1 (3 ½-to 4-pound) boneless lamb shoulder roast, trimmed and cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
Salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium onions, halved and sliced pole to pole into ¼-inch-thick pieces
4 (2-inch-long) strips zest from 1 lemon, trimmed of white pith
8 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 8 teaspoons), plus 2 medium garlic cloves, mashed to a fine paste
2 ½ teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons honey
1 pound carrots (about 6 medium), peeled and sliced 1 inch thick
2 cups pitted Greek green olives, halved
1 cup dried apricots, chopped medium
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
¼ cup juice from 2 lemons
½ teaspoon grated zest from 1 lemon
Why This Recipe Works
We used carrots, onions, and garlic to lay the foundation for our lamb tagine recipe and a spice mix of traditional Maghrebi spices to give it complex flavor. For the lemon flavor that distinguishes tagines, we used lemon zest and juice. Greek “cracked” olives made a tasty substitution for Moroccan olives. Stirring them, along with chopped dried apricots, at the end of the simmering time ensured that they retained their flavor and texture. Finally, a last-minute addition of raw garlic and some more lemon zest sharpened the flavors of our stew.
Before You Begin
If you cannot find pitted Greek green olives, substitute pimento-stuffed green olives; if the olives are particularly salty, be sure to rinse them. A variety of dried fruits, including pitted prunes, dark raisins, golden raisins, or currants, can be substituted for the apricots.
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Pat the meat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add half of the lamb and brown well on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes; transfer to a medium bowl. Repeat with 1 tablespoon more oil and the remaining lamb; transfer to the bowl.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pot and return to medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions, lemon zest strips, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook over medium heat until the onions are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic, paprika, cumin, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk in the broth, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Stir in the honey and browned lamb with any accumulated juice and bring to a simmer. Cover, place the pot in the oven, and cook for 1 hour.
- Stir in the carrots and continue to cook in the oven, covered, until the meat is tender, 1 to 11/2 hours longer.
- Remove the tagine from the oven and remove the lemon zest strips. Stir in the olives and apricots, cover, and let stand off the heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic paste, cilantro, lemon juice, and grated lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
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